It wasnt long ago that Apple rose to meet Microsofts 12.3-inch Surface Pro with its very own, 12.9-inch iPad Pro.
So, it was only a matter of time before Microsoft met Apple in kind with its own 10-inch tablet (again): the Surface Go.The Surface Go seems tailor-made to combat the latest 9.7-inch iPad with Apple Pencil support, both in the consumer and education realms.
It features a brand new, Alcantara fabric Type Cover and support for the Surface Pen not to mention a nearly identical power profile.So, now that both Apple and Microsoft have tablets designed for learning and productivity (and play, too), which one should you buy To answer that question, lets pit these two tablets in a head-to-head match.DesignOddly enough, both the iPad and Surface Go remain largely unchanged in design from their forebears.
Microsofts tablet simply takes the Surface formula and shrinks it, gaining more curved edges compared with the Surface Pro.
The iPad, meanwhile, largely maintains the design of the previous models.The Windows tablet still maintains its trademark kickstand, which is a boon for creative types that often use a stylus.
Apples iPad has no such feature, though you can manipulate the Smart Cover keyboard to get a (remotely) similar feel.Both tablets are incredibly thin, but the iPads 0.29 inches (7.5mm) of thinness narrowly beats out the Surface Go at 0.33 inches (8.3mm).
Likewise, the iPad is a hair lighter than Surface Go at 1.03 pounds (469g) to the Surfaces 1.15 pounds (522g).
Naturally, these differences would be difficult to discern either when in your hand or in your bag.However, those differences in size and weight do lend the Surface Go a unique advantage: ports.
Compared to the new iPads sole Lightning connector, the Surface Go has a veritable bevy of ports from USB-C to microSD to Microsofts own Surface Connect port.This makes Microsofts design much more additive and modular, whereas a core conceit of the iPad is that its self-sufficient and shouldnt need enhancements through connectivity.Another key difference that well touch on more deeply later is that the Surface Go can run full-on Windows 10, a desktop and laptop operating system as much as it was meant for tablets, whereas the iPad runs the same iOS that is used on iPhone, with a scant few key differences, like stylus support.DisplayWhile the Surface Go might have the iPad beat when it comes to design on account of its versatility and openness in addition to beauty, Apple remains a king of displays.
The iPad largely remains unchallenged in this regard, but Microsoft is clearly catching up fast.The latest iPad sports a 9.7-inch IPS touchscreen at a 2,048 x 1,536 pixel resolution, or 264 pixels per inch (ppi) and covered in fingerprint-resistant oleophobic coating.
Its just as color rich and accurate of a display as youve grown used to, now supporting styluses.Microsofts Surface Go, however, isnt nearly as sharp with its 10-inch, 1,800 x 1,200 (217 ppi) touch display.
Now, the art professional might notice a difference between these two resolution points, but the average users likely wont.Regardless, the brass tax is that the iPad Pro display appears to be better than the Surface Gos on account of its sharpness and leading color reproduction.Performance and priceMicrosoft is selling its Surface Go to start at $399 (379, AU$599), which is considerably pricier than the iPads $329 (319, AU$469).
However, the devil is in the details.The Surface Go comes packing the same Intel Pentium Gold processor with 4GB of memory and 64GB of eMMC storage for that price, which can be upgrade to house 8GB of RAM and 128GB of SSD storage.
Meanwhile, the iPad starts with 2GB of RAM that cannot be improved and 32GB of storage that goes up straight to 128GB.On paper, the Surface Gos extra memory and storage resources will give it a serious edge against the more limited iPad.
However, youre paying more for that advantage, a cost that remains steadily above that of the iPad as you purchase the essential accessories for either tablet which are infuriatingly sold separately.While we cant make too much judgment on how these two devices perform differently in the wild, still having yet to fully test the Surface Go, we can look at what each is packing and make some educated observations.Despite the fact that Apple uses ARM-made silicon to make its products versus Microsofts use of Intel chips inside its smallest tablet yet, weve witnessed similar experiences within both products.
The iPads A10 Fusion chip produces very similar 3D effects to what the Surface Go showed off during a recent demonstration.With both the iPads A10 and the Intel Pentium Gold inside the Surface Go being relatively low-power processors, the former is rated for 10 hours of battery life while the latter claims just 9 hours.Well have to judge all that in a final review of the Surface Go, but Apple may have Microsoft beat on battery life regardless.TakeawayFor many people looking for a tablet rather than a laptop to do work or school tasks with, this will be a difficult decision.
Both tablets offer about the same power for about the same price, in similarly luxurious builds and innovative design.However, one major benefit the Surface Go holds over the iPad is that, even with Windows 10 S, its still far more versatile than the iPad.
Upgrade that to Windows 10 Pro for free, and its almost no competition (assuming the tablet still performs as well with a full operating system).Whether you buy a new iPad or the Surface as your next get stuff done tablet will depend heavily upon whether you need a full operating system to get things done.
If you need a mouse experience on your tablet, then hit up the Surface Go.
If you care more about the ecosystem youre locked into or vast app support, then by all means check out the new iPad.